New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is going to go down in NFL history as one of the best, if not best, quarterbacks of all time. His five Super Bowl championships, four Super Bowl MVPs, two league MVPs, and twelve Pro Bowls kind of speak for themselves.
One would never have guessed the now 39-year-old quarterback legend wasn’t picked until the sixth round with the 199th pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. That means 198 players were picked before maybe the greatest football player of all-time, including six quarterbacks.
But we can’t really blame a few teams for passing after seeing the now famous picture of Brady at the 2000 Draft Combine.
(NFL Network)
So who were the six quarterbacks to go in the NFL Draft before Brady, how did their football careers go, and where are they five Tom Brady Super Bowls later?
Chad Pennington – 18th overall by the New York Jets
(Joe Murphy/ Getty Images)
Football fans will recognize the name Chad Pennington, who played 11 seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, and therefore matched up against Brady two times a season in AFC East battles. He had six playoff appearances in comparison to Brady’s 34, and no Super Bowls to show for it. Pennington now runs the 1st and 10 Foundation with is wife, and coach’s middle-school football in Kentucky.
Giovanni Carmazzi – 65th overall by the San Francisco 49ers
(Tom Hauck/ Getty Images)
The name Giovanni Carmazzi rings a bell with less NFL fans, mainly due to the fact he never played in a regular season NFL game. He spent two seasons on the 49ers practice roster, before Rhein Fire of the NFL Europe team, before appearing on the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders roster up here in the CFL, but never seeing much playing time. He took to ESPN recently and described himself as a “yoga-practicing farmer.”
Chris Redman – 75th overall by the Baltimore Ravens
(Craig Jones/ Getty Images)
NFL fans will recognize Chris Redman, who played eight seasons in the league, manly with the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons, and was part of the Ravens 2000 Super Bowl team (although not the starter). He now hosts a hunting show called ‘Lights Out Outdoors,” while helping young quarterbacks at QB camps.
Tee Martin – 163rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers
(George Gojkovich/ Getty Images)
Tee Martin spent four seasons in the NFL with the Steelers and Oakland Raiders, before heading to the CFL and cracking the Winnipeg Blue Bombers roster from 2004-2005. Once his playing career was over, he took up coaching, and worked his way to one of the great coaching jobs in all of football, as the offensive coordinator at USC.
Marc Bulger – 168th overall to the New Orleans Saints
(Gregory Shamus/ Getty Images)
While the Saints didn’t appear interested in signing Bulger his rookie year, he went on to start at quarterback for the St. Louis Rams for eight seasons. The quarterback now owns a farm in Missouri.
Spergon Wynn – 183rd overall to the Cleveland Browns
(Jonathan Daniel/ Getty Images)
CFL fans might recognize this name more than NFL fans do.
Spergon Wynn started three games in three seasons in the NFL with the Browns and Vikings, but then went on to spend four seasons in the CFL with the Lions, Bombers and Toronto Argonauts. He is currently an energy broker in Houston, Texas.
As Brady sat and waited for his name to be called, these six quarterbacks walked to the stage, and received their NFL jersey and cap. The Michigan quarterback waited, and waited, and waited for his name to be called, keeping his fingers crossed he wouldn’t have to become an insurance salesman. The Patriots eventually picked him, and the rest is history.
(H/T NFL.com & Business Insider)
